How did Toyota f*** up the Gen 5 so badly?

Neighbor purchased a 57 Chevy brand new. Warranty was 90 days. If there's a notion that cars aren't better, one has to explain how some warranties - or at least parts of cars are warrantied for 10 years or more nowadays. By the early '70s, warranties were a whopping 12 months. Having just purchased a 14 month old Chevy vega, Lessons Learned. It blew up shortly thereafter.

 

seeing that you have a gen 2, you may not realize that Prius has gone downhill with each generation.
I won't get into specifics, but my 04 and 08 were better than my 12, and I took a pass on gen 4, and a hard pass on gen 5.
that's when I went with a Bev

 

What is a bev?

 

According to my research, You can get either AWD of a plug-in hybrid, but not both, due to space considerations. I'll gladly take the plug-in feature, as I don't find the AWD to be much more useful than FWD.

 

Your complaints about the car are completely absent. What exactly is wrong with the Gen 5 that you find troubling?

 

My first and best car I've ever owned was a used 57 Chevy. Of course I was a bit younger back then.
I used that car to commute to my best ever job. An engineer of the miniature train at the Kiddie Park a few miles down the road. Those were the days.

 

Seems like your dad doesn’t have the same issues with the car as you. The LE is the base model, not too many bells and whistles.

 

I don't think it did in the lower trims on earlier gens either ... I think all-doors smart key was either a higher-trim-level perk, or an option.

 

It is low, but this isn't a concealed trait.

That will depend on your height.

I do find the characters on the stalks obscured by the wheel, as if the wheel and stalk combination are a parts bin mismatch.

There is some variability in the instrument layout. I only have one speed display, but I'm sure I set it up that way.

I don't know when Toyota last had a stalk control CC. Stalks for CC are great, but the wheel buttons can't confuse you if you are used to their locations.

Unless you need blocks on the pedals and live in a tree making cookies, there isn't any sense in which the shift knob is at your elbow.

Did the Gen2 have a CVT? How much shifting were you doing?

I got the LE specifically for the smaller center screen.

The visibility is awful. The A pillars are too thick. Rearward visibility is even worse.

For the foot print, the interior space is poor. Is this a Toyota weakness? It seems even more noticeable in the Camry. A VW Golf seems larger than a Camry on the inside, but is smaller on the outside.

Don't worry about the rear wiper; the window it would wipe isn't that useful. Omitting the spare is a well covered subject and is ridiculous.

They're there, but are relocated. Don't hate it because it's beautiful.

The key works by a fob button on the LE. I'm guessing Toyota springs for the touch lock/unlock on higher trims. I've never noticed on the passenger side, but have noticed this when trying to open the rear driver's side door to toss something in before getting in myself.


Welcome to the charm of a cheap $30k car.

 

Sounds like a you problem

 

Yes, my Gen 4 Prius Prime feels like an SUV inside with a very high ceiling and decent visibility, but most new cars are small inside with minimal visibility now, not just Gen 5 Prius. I was in a Hyundai Kona SUV a few weeks ago, and my head was almost touching the ceiling, and I am short.

You can adjust the seat and steering wheel position to fully see the meter gauge. The default position will not work for all heights.

The smart key works on other doors on higher trim levels.

So, yes, Gen 5 is smaller inside with less visibility, but it is improved in most other ways compared to previous generations.

 

My thoughts on the Gen5. It should have been 10-15% bigger than the Gen 4. It should have had AWD standard. A Prius is a hauler vehicle. That's not the primary purpose but loading up is something the Prius does well. People even sleep in a Prius. I think of a Prius as a little Toyota low rider pickup of old. But it's a car first. If the Prius would get 75-80 miles on electric (plugin). You would have the best of both worlds. Unlimited range and the ability to treat it like a true electric car around the city. The Plugin should be standard as well on a Prius.

The Gen 5 Prius looks great and they added a bunch of horsepower. No need for all the bells and whistles. Just the basics. AWD standard would make it the ultimate snowbird.

If Toyota wanted to make the Prius a true statement car. Remember the old Nissan Maxima? The 4 dour sports car. The Gen 6 Prius could be that wolf in sheep's clothes car. The Prius is already the most reliable Japanese car that exists. Car prices need to come back down to reality.

 

For those who want a larger car, there are the new Gen 6 RAV4 HEV and PHEV. They are a technological upgrade over the Gen 5 Prius HEV and PHEV with their TSS 4.0 and Arene-based displays and multimedia. They even come with an integrated dashcam. They will be available at dealers in a few weeks, but expect long waitlists until next year.

 

Let's see how many 1000s of customers they lose/chase away as stealerships charge 10 thou$and over MSRP - like they did when the 1st Plug in Rav4 came out. Nothing kills a wait list faster & paying 4 figures over MSRP on an already expensive right. LOL
.

 

The big draw of the new Rav4 will be a better ride and lower wind noise which was a CRV advantage in the past. Plus more power and an available fwd to keep the now 100% hybrid cost competitive with the earlier conventional low end Rav4s.

Rav4s will continue to beat CRVs in mpg.

Since Rav4s are made in the US and Canada they will be available compared to the plugin which will still be made in Japan.

A downside of the new Rav4 is the nearly complete mfd control of ac and heat.

 

For my money the 2.5L Camry LE hybrid is a far superior car for thousands less. More room, more power, great mpg.

 

But no hatch like the Prius, which is a mini SUV, or any SUV. The hatch is the Prius’s main draw. Whoever invented the sedan did a great disservice to mankind. That is one reason sedans are now very unpopular.